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New Ryuichi Hiroki film to screen overseas
Sun, February 10, 2008 (9:00pm EST)



A new movie by director Ryuichi Hiroki has been invited to two film festivals. Based on a short story collection by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, "Kimi no Tomodachi" features 15-year-old talent Anna Ishibashi in her first starring role. The movie is scheduled to open in Japan this summer, but its official world premiere will take place at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.

HKIFF opens on March 17. Other Japanese films invited to the festival include "Saga no Gabai-baachan" and "Shindo."

"Kimi no Tomodachi" will then screen at the 10th Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy, which starts on April 18.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Rina Uchiyama to play role of marrow donor program founder
Sun, February 10, 2008 (10:49pm EST)



Actress Rina Uchiyama has been chosen to star in TV Tokyo's drama special "Sanjumannin Kara no Kiseki ~Nidome no Happy Birthday~."

The drama is a fictionalized account of the life of Takako Otani, who helped found and is currently involved with the Japan Marrow Donor Program. It is based on her book, "Ikiterutte Shiawase!" Earlier in her life, Otani was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, but she underwent a successful marrow transplant.



Masaru Nagai will play Otani's boyfriend. Takashi Naito, Keiko Take#a, Chizuru Azuma, and Chiaki Hara have also been cast in the drama. Broadcast is scheduled for March 26 at 9:00pm.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

[ Last edited by  whitedove at 13-2-2008 05:02 PM ]

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Rinka's new romance?
Mon, February 11, 2008 (5:05am EST)



Model and talento Rinka is reportedly in a new relationship. Her boyfriend is said to be a businessman who runs an apparel company in Hawaii.

According to the rumors, Rinka met him in November during a personal trip. Since the start of this year, she has already been back to Hawaii twice, and even accompanied the man during a trip to Los Angeles.

Rinka is regularly labeled as a "makeinu" (referring to an unmarried woman over 30), but past rumors have linked her to various celebrities. Last October, she revealed on her blog that she had broken up with her boyfriend after a six-year relationship.

Her agency says it has not heard about a new boyfriend, and that it would leave such a private matter alone anyway.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Shokotan to release original album
Mon, February 11, 2008 (6:14am EST)



On Monday, idol Shoko Nakagawa held a special live event for 200 lucky fans who bought a copy of her new single "snow tears" or her latest "Shokotan Blog" book.

On Sunday, she had announced through her blog that she will release her first original album on March 19, titled "Big Bang!!!" The album will include her 4 released singles and 7 new songs, one of which is a bonus track.

After Monday's concert, she held a press conference to publicly announce the album. During the event, she boldly declared that if the album takes the #1 spot on the charts, she will run naked through Nakano Broadway (a popular spot for otakus). However, she admitted that topping the charts is very unlikely for her.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Cast of "Climber's High" revealed
Mon, February 11, 2008 (5:31am EST)

The main cast of Masato Harada's "Climber's High" was revealed on Sunday. The movie is based on Hideo Yokoyama's best-selling novel about the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123.



As previously announced, Shinichi Tsutsumi is starring as a newspaper reporter assigned to cover the event. Most of the newly named cast are playing other reporters and co-workers. The list includes Masato Sakai, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kenichi Endo, Masahiro Takashima, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Machiko Ono (as the sole female reporter), and Koichi Sato, who starred in NHK's television adaptation of the same story.

Theatrical release has been set for July 5.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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X Japan adds third date to Tokyo Dome reunion concerts
Mon, February 11, 2008 (6:40pm EST)



On Monday, Yoshiki revealed in an interview that due to demand, X Japan has added a third date to its reunion concerts at the Tokyo Dome. The band had originally scheduled two shows for March 28 and 30. Now, with the addition of a concert on March 29, they will be performing on three consecutive days.

X Japan had titled the two original shows "Hakai no Yoru" (Night of Destruction) and "Souzou no Yoru" (Night of Creation). The new concert (on the 29th) is labeled "Mubou na Yoru" (Night of Recklessness).

X Japan previously sold out three consecutive days at Tokyo Dome in 1992.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Artist and Kome Kome Club vocalist Ishii Tatsuya (48) was on stage with dozens of business and industry leaders in Tokyo yesterday. The event was the launch of a campaign to celebrate 150 years of the domestic steel industry, for which Ishii designed the image character Aira. He and science producer Yonemura Denjiro (53) will be the public faces of the campaign throughout the year. "Denjiro Sensei" regularly appears on TV to popularize science for children, and is putting on two days of science shows at the Roppongi Hills complex at the end of July as part of the campaign. Organized by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation, the campaign slogan is "Steel for Life". Ishii has also written an image song, which will be released on February 26.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Former idol singer Kokusho Sayuri (41) is turning back the clock on Valentine's Day. She has re-recorded her 1986 hit "Valentine Kiss" and will be supporting it with live appearances on TV and radio shows all over Tokyo. The song was voted the one most people wanted to hear on Valentine's Day in a survey by chart company Oricon last year. Kokusho was member #8 of the top '80s idol group Onyanko Club and is now an actress.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Almost a total unknown even in his own country, taiko drummer Nakamura Koji (48) was the only Japanese artist to take an award at the Grammys over the weekend. With most other winners wearing tuxedos, Nakamura stood out in his traditional kimono. A member of the Paul Winter Consort, he shared the Best New Age Album award for "Crestone". The main recordings for the album were done in the natural acoustics of a lake high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado. The album features the pow-wow drum and cedar flute of a young singer of Apache heritage, as well as birds and animals native to the region. The photo shows, from the left, members Paul McCandless, Peter May and Nakamura. Formerly with the famous Ondekoza taiko group and a leader of the Shumei Taiko Ensemble, Nakamura moved to the US in 2004. Countryman Kitaro was also nominated in the same category, for the 12th time.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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[JAPAN] 慚ongol

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Rieko Miura to star in "Sweet 10" drama
Tue, February 12, 2008 (3:48pm EST)



Actress Rieko Miura has finally been given a starring role in a drama series after working in show business for 20 years. The show is an adaptation of the "Sweet 10" manga, written by Yukari Koyama.



Miura plays a nurse who starts having an affair during her 9th year of marriage. Shingo Katsurayama has been cast as her husband, while Joe Nakamura is her lover.

Miura herself has been married before. In 1998, she wedded rock singer Diamond Yukai, but they divorced three years later.

"Sweet 10 ~Saigo no Koibito~" will air on TBS at 1:00pm on weekdays. The series premieres on March 3.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Tekkon Kinkreet" wins at Anima fest in Brussels
Tue, February 12, 2008 (4:07pm EST)

Michael Arias' animated feature "Tekkon Kinkreet" took the Grand Prix on Saturday at this year's Anima, an international animation festival held in Brussels, Belgium.

The competition included two other Japanese films - Kenji Kamiyama's "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society" and Mamoru Hosoda's "Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo" - as well as "El Arca" by Juan Pablo Buscarini, "Desmond" by Magnus Carlsson, "Khan Kluay" by Kompin Kemgumnird, "Little King Macius" by Sandor Jesse, and "Nocturna" by Victor Maldonado and Adrian Garcia.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Comedy duo Charanporan disbanding
Tue, February 12, 2008 (4:33pm EST)



Owarai duo Charanporan is breaking up at the end of June. On Tuesday, member Kojin Onishi announced the news through a fax to the media, saying that he has decided to pursue his childhood dream of art instead.

Onishi stated that he will be leaving Yoshimoto Kogyo at the time of the disbandment. His partner Makoto Tomiyoshi, on the other hand, said he will remain with the agency.

Charanporan should not be confused with the duo License, which changed its name to The Charanporan last February.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Masaki Okada stars in drama special
Tue, February 12, 2008 (4:52pm EST)



Young actor Masaki Okada will star in his first television drama next month. The screenplay for the drama, titled "Fukidemono to Imouto," is written by Isamu Haruna. It won TV Asahi's 7th Shinjin Scenario Taisho, a contest for new writers.

The fantasy story revolves around a young part-timer (Okada) who has a "pimple" under his nose. One day, a flower starts to bloom from it. It turns out that the pimple is somehow connected to his younger sister, who is hospitalized due to an illness.

The cast includes Wakana Sakai, Junpei Mizobata, Naomi Akimoto, and Kazuyuki Asano. TV Asahi will air the show on March 1 at 1:55pm.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"L change the WorLd" starts strong
Tue, February 12, 2008 (5:09pm EST)

Box office estimates for this past weekend place the "Death Note" spinoff, "L change the WorLd," in the #1 spot, ahead of "Team Batista no Eikou" as expected.

"L change the WorLd" opened on 398 screens. Sankei Sports reports that its 3-day gross was roughly 846 million yen on over 677,000 admissions. Its two-day totals (567 million yen, 444,000 admissions) are the highest for any film so far this year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Who do you think are Japan's most persuasive celebrities? A recent online survey shows that people polled overwhelmingly chose comedians with enough gift of the gab to carry their own regular TV shows. Master emcee Shimada Shinsuke (51) topped the rankings, and watching him on TV just about any night of the week it's hard to argue. His mix of humor and often twisted logic to argue his various theories about life and love leave guests in stitches but also get a lot of heads nodding. In the survey carried out over two weeks in January by Just Systems, Shimada ranked top by a mile over equally verbose comedians and TV regulars Akashiya Sanma and Tamori, with Kitano "Beat" Takeshi, Tokoro Joji and relative newcomer Tamura Atsushi of the duo London Boots also making the Top 10. In fourth place was actor and renowned playboy Ishida Junichi, followed in fifth by Japan's accomplished Olympic baseball coach Hoshino Senichi. Filling out the Top 10 were former prime minister Koizumi Junichiro and Mino Monta, the busiest man on Japanese TV, who surpisingly only squeaked in at No.9.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Charts: Koda still #1
Wed, February 13, 2008 (5:31am EST)



While public opinion has soured over her controversiol comment, pop star Kumi Koda still has the support of her fans, as her new album "Kingdom" sold over 84,000 copies last week to keep its #1 spot on the charts. "10 YEARS BEST WE R&B," the greatest hits album released by singer DOUBLE, sold less than half as much to rank #2.

BRAHMAN and HOME MADE Kazoku also entered the Top 10, while Ami Suzuki and Ongaku Gatas made it within the Top 30.



On the singles chart, it was no surprise that KAT-TUN came out on top. "LIPS" sold over 350,000 copies, more than the rest of the top ten combined. #2 was Yuzu's "Story" and #3 was "Hajimari no Uta," the first solo single by Sukima Switch member Takuya Ohashi.

Nana Mizuki, Asian Kung-fu Generation, Buono!, the brilliant green, Kaela Kimura, and Shunsuke Kiyokiba all had new releases in the top ten.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Swinging Popsicle to play in Mexico
Wed, February 13, 2008 (1:43pm EST)



A press release from JapanFiles announced today that pop band Swinging Popsicle will be playing a special concert in Mexico. The band has been invited as the first-ever musical guest for the 32nd Convencion de Juegos de Mesa y Comics, which is being held in Monterrey on March 7-9.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Oricon: ideal girlfriend
Wed, February 13, 2008 (1:53pm EST)

Oricon conducted a special Valentine's Day survey, asking 500 men which female celebrity they saw as their ideal girlfriend, and would like to receive chocolates from on the special day.



Rising actress Yui Aragaki led the list, followed by Masami Nagasawa, Maki Horikita, and Ai Otsuka. Saki Aibu and Aoi Miyazaki tied for 5th. Aya Ueto ranked 7th, Yuko Takeuchi tied for 8th with Kaho, and Yuri Ebihara was #10. Talento Suzanne was a runner-up, landing just outside the top ten.

Ideal girlfriend:

1) Yui Aragaki
2) Masami Nagasawa
3) Maki Horikita
4) Ai Otsuka
5) Saki Aibu
5) Aoi Miyazaki
7) Aya Ueto
8) Yuko Takeuchi
8) Kaho
10) Yuri Ebihara

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Horipro audition winner stars in first film
Wed, February 13, 2008 (6:31pm EST)

15-year-old Rika Adachi, who won the Grand Prix in the Horipro Talent Scout Caravan last November, will already be making her big screen debut this summer. With no acting experience, she will star in a movie titled "Airyutsu Center", directed by Tetsuhiko Tsuchiya.

The film is based on a mobile phone novel by Mizu Yuisawa. The adaptation is being carried out as part of a project called "Your Cinema," in which readers voted on stories to be turned into movies. The story itself is being released as a book next month.



Adachi plays high-schooler Chikako, who requests help from the "Airyutsu Center," an institution promising to fulfill wishes of romance. Her love interest is being played by Gouki Maeda. Mari Iriki, who won the special judges' prize at the same Horipro Talent Scout Caravan, will play Chikako's friend-turned-rival Haruka.

Filming started on Sunday and is projected to wrap up next month. The movie will open in theaters starting this summer.

Source: www.tokyograph.com